#BEA11: New Data Shows Growth Across the Publishing Industry

By Hannah Johnson

Today, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) presented a new statistics report called BookStats, aimed at providing more complete data to the publishing industry. The aim of the report, according to Dominique Raccah of Sourcebooks, will be to show “how publishers develop, repurpose and recast content.” The full report will be available in July.

BookStats will include three years’s worth of data (2008-2010) from 1,100 publishers of all sizes and across various segments of the publishing industry, including trade, scholarly, education (K-12 and Higher Education) and professional publishers.

Preliminary data from the report indicates that many publishers are growing their businesses in this time of transition. Kelly Gallagher of Bowker told the audience that both unit sales and revenue are up for publishers of all sizes. This growth is led primarily by small- and medium-sized publishers.

In the retail space, Gallagher said that chain retailers are seeing a decline, but that independent bookstores “are showing some resiliency” with either no decline or very little decline.

The book categories showing growth include adult fiction and juvenile books, while adult nonfiction is struggling.

Scott Lubeck of BISG applauded the publishing industry for “showing resilience in these times of great change” and in the face of growing competition with other media.

For more information about this report, visit the BookStats website.

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.